Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...
Test drives of electric vehicles

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

You probably remember our Reader who sold a BMW 330e because he was so disappointed with this brand that he decided to buy a Tesla Model 3 in the future. Yesterday he had the opportunity to drive a Volkswagen ID.3 and, in his opinion, the car is underdeveloped. He is very disappointed with the poor quality / price ratio.

Our reader's email ended with a request to abandon comparisons of the Volkswagen ID.3 to the Tesla Model 3 so as not to mislead you. Strong. Although ID.3 takes this position, we admit that we may have been a victim of marketing. Similar comparisons, used as if in passing, may be retained. We also regularly hear about Skoda striving for, and even surpassing, Volkswagen levels – but in reality, the dealership is “slightly” different.

The description below is an edited email from a reader. Subtitles are taken from the editorial. For ease of reading, we do not use italics.

"Please do not compare this car with the Tesla Model 3"

I did a short hour test drive in a Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max, a vehicle with a 58 (62) kWh battery, a 150 kW (204 hp) engine and probably equipped with everything in stock. This includes 20-inch wheels and head-up display (HUD). I am comparing the car to the Model 3, which I was expecting, and the BMW 330e (F30) plug-in hybrid that I sold a few days ago.

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Let's start with the price... In Norway, the VW ID.3 1st Max sits between the Tesla Model 3 SR + and the Tesla Model 3 LR. In Poland, similarly, the car stands exactly halfway between the aforementioned Tesla. And I think when comparing an electric Volkswagen to a Tesla, you should go for the cheapest variant of the Standard Range Plus (SR +), which also has rear-wheel drive, a similar range and less power difference (211 kW for Tesla, 150 kW for Volkswagen). ...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Tesla Model 3 SR + chassis diagram. Previously presented in the configurator, today (in) Tesla is no longer displayed

As I wrote earlier, I have driven various BMWs for ten years, so I prefer the sporty characteristics of the car, low seating position, dynamics, compactness, steering precision, good steering wheel feedback, certain cornering behavior, etc. The Tesla Model 3 offers it all, so it should come as no surprise that BMW 3 Series drivers are switching to this vehicle more often than not.

After a short test drive with a Volkswagen ID.3, I can't imagine someone who likes to drive a BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 Quattro or Alfa Romeo (Giulia) and who, after entering ID.3, would say, “Yes, they are similar cars. and I could ride it. I will sell my diesel 330i or Veloce and switch to ID.3. "

The VW ID.3 is an urban compact car that reminds me of the BMW i3.

Volkswagen ID.3 reminds me of the i3. This has nothing to do with Tesla Model 3.. Riding, cornering, driving position - it's all there almost identical to BMW i3Therefore, I believe that the i3 is a direct competitor to the Volkswagen electric car (apart from the e-Golf and Nissan Leaf, of course).

The VW ID.3 has a high driving position, like the i3. Driving experience like an MPV (van). For many this is an advantage because you can see more, but for every sports car lover it is a big disadvantage. The steering wheel is nice and pleasant to the touch, but the tactile buttons are a real tragedy. People cannot like it, pressing them causes unnatural sensations, unpleasant. And why is there no ordinary volume knob, like in Tesla or Audi - no one came up with a better one?

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Interior Design

The materials used in the cabin are very poor considering the price of the car. It's really hard to put it in another word. On the sides of the driver is surrounded by a sea of ​​hard gray plastic of poor quality, which, moreover, is sometimes poorly mounted (backlash). The top and bottom of the door is made of hard plastic, which has been scratched for 600 kilometers.

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

The center console and lower part of the dashboard are also made of gray hard plastic. The finish of the e-Golf was much better, while in the VW ID.3 we have Volkswagen e-Up / Polo quality. With a price tag of PLN 216, this is a bit absurd.

> Price Volkswagen ID.3 1st (E113MJ / E00) in Poland from PLN 167 [update]

Piano black material in doors, screens and center console is the scourge of our times. Tesla seems to touch ruthlessly.

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

But not to mention the fact that I'm just complaining: there is a lot of room for things, acceleration to 100 km / h in just over 7 seconds is more than enough, more headroom in the back than Tesla Model 3, the steering wheel, as I said, is pleasant to the touch, the key seems to be exclusive - and there is a HUD.

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

HUD and software

The HUD gives you all the information you need, and while the speed information seems a few points overstated (I couldn't dig into the settings), it's great that it does. This Tesla is missing, and in my opinion, this is a big drawback of California cars.

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

The presence of a projection display makes counters behind the wheel unnecessary. Anyway, the road animation used in them is Atari/Amiga from twenty years ago. Looks like an unfinished project:

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Exactly. Another drawback in my opinion is the infotainment system and vehicle performance. You may not like Tesla for being different and with touchscreens, but at least it’s consistent and intuitive. If you like the iPhone, you will love the Tesla system: everything is organized on the big screen, you have several options at once.

The Volkswagen ID.3 lacked intuitiveness, and yet the Golf was loved for it. Changing the volume or adjusting the air conditioner is a dark joke: you click, you click, something happens, but you don't know exactly what. The menu itself is confusing and complex, with little data on the small screen so you keep switching through the structure. Compared to Tesla or even e-Golf, it's just confusing, unfriendly.

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

What can you use voice commands? Oh, I've tried it several times and it's hard for me to say a good word. A command like "I'm cold" invokes a two second processing, after which the female voice states that it has already taken care of it. Then the temperature rises by ... 1 degree Celsius.

Exterior, driving and resume

I didn’t like the plastic, I didn’t like the seats: the armrest is strange, double, and the upholstery is some kind of synthetic fabric. In addition, the wipers go in different directions, as in some MPVs. But I must say that from the side and rear, the car looks beautiful, much prettier than the BMW i3. The front end is ugly - headlights and a short hood.

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

Volkswagen ID.3 1st Max - first impressions. Drove an hour, there are perks, but overall I'm disappointed...

The VW ID.3 wheels are narrow (associated with the BMW i3 again), so driving is what it's all about. But there will be no problems in the city. Difficult to compare with Tesla Model 3... in my opinion We are dealing with a car that is similar in handling and driving position to an MPV.so it targets a completely different client.

The first versions of ID.3 were not sold out in Norway (!), Which does not bode well. The dealer announced that if I decide, I will get a 1-year service and inspection package for free, wheels with 3- or 18-inch winter tires for half the price and one year of free charging on Ionity. So there is pressure to sell.

[As a potential buyer] I am terribly disappointed with this machine at this price.. If I was driving around the city, I would prefer the i3, where almost everything is better, except for those wretched rear doors. But I'm glad, because knowing Volkswagen, he will produce hundreds of thousands of such cars and popularize electric power. But Tesla will have no incentive to cut car prices - it raised them on a weak Norwegian krone and hasn't cut them to this day.

In my opinion, all of this will make you Volkswagen will quickly cut the price of this model because sales will be weak.... He will not electrify society with this machine, as he promised.

Prices for the Volkswagen ID.3 start in Poland from PLN 155 for the Pro Performance version of 890 (58) kWh, from PLN 62 for the 167th version and from PLN 190 for the 1st version. PLN 179 for the Pro S version 990 (77) kWh:

> Price Volkswagen ID.3 1st (E113MJ / E00) in Poland from PLN 167 [update]

Editor's Note www.elektrowoz.pl: The writer of the description is very disappointed with the car, so it seems that people switching from Audi or BMW should probably wait for the ID.3 produced by Audi. Such a model has not been announced yet, we only hear about the Audi Q4 e-tron, which is the equivalent of the Volkswagen ID.4 (not ID.3) - it will debut on the market in 2021.

We support the opinion that ID.3 1st Max is overpriced. Although Volkswagen has a cheap long-term rental / lease option, we are willing to pay up to PLN 160 for a C-segment car with such a battery. With 216 XNUMX PLN to spend, we would rather think of something more or more.

I wonder what will be the opinion of Mr. Peter, who decided to buy this option 😉

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